BBC-East Asia Today.Aug 26 ,1998

[hlaing@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

East Asia Today.Aug 26 ,1998

Burmese Military Government Threatens to Arrest Opposition Party Members

Burma's home Minister, Colonel Tin Hlaing, has called in two senior members
of the opposition National League for Democracy and warned them not to
undermine the stability of the country. This follows the most serious
demonstrations in two years, led by students in Rangoon on Monday. It's
also emerged that the NLD has invited MPs from the ethnic insurgency areas
to attend a meeting of the parliament elected in 1990. So how worried is
the military government about these developments? Aye Chang Naing, a
Burmese journalist in Oslo, told East Asia Today presenter Christopher
Gunness what the Home Minister said to the NLD:

Aye Chang Naing: The Home Minister basically threatened the NLD - if they
continue with this kind of activity, such as trying to convene the
parliament, then members of the NLD will be arrested. 

Christopher Gunness: How significant is that two men went from the NLD? It
wasn't Aung San Suu Kyi who had previously said they had to talk to her.

Aye Chang Naing: I think it is very significant that the NLD finally agreed
to meet the military leaders without Aung San Suu Kyi. It's a big sanction
given by the NLD to the military.

Christopher Gunness: Do you think there'll be further dialogue on the back
of this?

Aye Chang Naing: I don't think so. What the military are doing right now is
generating propaganda. They are meeting with the opposition, and painting a
picture of dialogue in the future. However, if you look at the content of
the meeting they were not really talking about possible dialogue in the
future. They were just trying to warn the NLD that they should not go ahead
with trying to convene the parliament, or try to organise mass
demonstrations.

Christopher Gunness: The NLD has recently invited people represented in the
ethnic minority areas to come to the meeting of their parliament - are they
likely to be able to get to Rangoon?

Aye Chang Naing: It will be difficult. I know that many members of
parliament in different regional states have been totally under the control
of the military regime. We have even heard that military intelligence is
surrounding these MPs' houses. So it will be difficult for ethnic minority
and NLD MPs to come to Rangoon. 

Christopher Gunness: Yet it is significant that the NLD is trying to make
the ethnic insurgency areas very much part of its political agenda.

Aye Chang Naing: Definitely. I think the ethnic groups are important for
the future of Burma. The military has been taking a lot of credit for
achieving the cease-fire with ethnic groups. The opposition was able to
organise these ethnic groups and get them to show support for Aung San Suu
Kyi, and so they have been able to really upset the military. The military
is now threatening all these ethnic groups - if they continue to support
the NLD they will be in big trouble.